In 2022, the Ayatollah regime was truly challenged by Iranians. After the murder of Mahsa Amini, millions of Iranian women and, later, also men took to the streets to protest against the mandatory hijab. The world saw unbelievable images: in Iranian cities, women burned their headscarves. They burn the most important symbol of the Sharia state of ayatollahs.
During this turbulent period, a large group of dissidents, mainly social liberals but also a number of moderate left-wing dissidents, decided to meet in Brussels. They spent two days discussing the formation of a united front to promote solidarity between dissidents inside and outside Iran.
The overthrow of the regime and the transition to a regime based on human rights, the rule of law, and democracy were presented to the media as the common goal. I was there too. A week earlier, several European ministers had asked me to become actively involved in Iranian issues: “After all, it is time for European Iranians to organise resistance against the Ayatollahs”. Actually, I have been studying and teaching since I was 20. We had to come up with a name for this group in Brussels. We chose the date of our meeting: the seventh of Aban, the day of Cyrus the Great. The Seven Aban Front was born.
It didn't take long before a group of young activists in Iran, calling themselves “Youth of Tehran's neighbourhoods,” joined Seven Aban. They organized nightly demonstrations in Tehran. From that moment on, the Seven Aban Front became a movement in Iran. Inside and outside Iran, Seven Aban built a coherent organization.
It is widely known that the Iranian intelligence services were primarily created to prevent any form of alternative to the regime or the formation of a strong opposition. That is why Seven Aban decided to take certain security measures and allow the organisation to function in a new form.
Tehran failed to destroy the organisation or cause it to fall apart through discord. Professionals are now working at the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence to destroy Seven Aban.
What exactly is Iran afraid of?
A new powerful voice of independent, highly educated liberal dissidents with organizational talent and political influence in various European countries with a well-thought-out narrative about Iran: not umma, but the Iranian nation; not internationalism (support for militant groups), but the national interest; Iran-Garai (pro-Iran) versus ummat-garai (Islamism); no chauvinism, but an Iranian cosmopolitan humanistic view of the world; no Gaza or Lebanon, but Baluchistan and Lorestan; no state religion, but freedom of religion; no state violence, but the democratic rule of law, and so on.
The leadership of Seven Aban is constantly engaged in discussions with other organizations to cooperate where possible. And Israel? The Seven Aban Front has a clear position on Israel and Jews: it opposes antisemitism both inside and outside Iran. It advocates friendship and cooperation with the state of Israel and the Israeli people.
This was something new: a group of prominent dissidents openly and fearlessly choosing friendship with Jews and Israel. For the first time since the Iranian revolution, an Iranian group managed to organize a demonstration in support of Jews and Israelis. On October 26 (2023), the Seven Aban organized a demonstration to protest alongside Jews in Brussels against the Hamas attack of October 7 and the Khamenei regime: old Iranian flags flew alongside Israeli flags. The true resurrection of lions.
How do they intend to shape the struggle against the ayatollahs? Seven Aban believes that Prince Reza Pahlavi is the leader of the Iranian nation. Like the prince, Seven Aban believes that after the overthrow of the regime, the Iranians should decide on the form of government (monarchy or republic) in a referendum. The future state of Iran must be free from hatred and anti-Semitism and create a stable and democratic regime, with a new constitution that lays a solid foundation for the separation of powers, periodic elections, the separation of state and religion (secularism), and human rights. The national unity of Iran can be guaranteed by the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi.
The Seven Aban Front, therefore, is made up of monarchists and republicans. Both accept the leadership of Prince Reza Pahlavi. This is yet another unique combination of social liberals who prioritise the constitutional basis of power rather than the model of state. Here we can already see the evolution of Iranian thinking.
Increased hostility towards those who want Iranian regime change
Due to the increasing support for Seven Aban in Iran and the growing influence of Seven Aban in the West (in government circles), the regime's hostility towards the organization and its members is increasing. A recent example of this is Khamenei's speech on Seven Aban.
The birthday of Majid Reza Rahnavard (23) was declared by Seven Aban as the Day of the Lion and the Sun. He was the first protester to be publicly hanged in December 2022. Because he had the lion and sun (the old Persian flag) tattooed on his arm, the regime broke his arm before hanging him. This year, the Day of the Lion and the Sun was held in Brussels on June 14.
It was a broad gathering that included Nobel Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, Uri Rosenthal (former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and chairman of the Iran Free Committee), and Theo Francken (Belgian defence minister). The Israeli ambassador to Brussels addressed the attendees via Zoom. All other participants were Iranians. The meeting had been planned two months earlier. The day before, Israel attacked the Iranian regime. Coincidences happen, but according to the deceitful ayatollahs, that is not possible.
On August 21, Iranian state television broadcast a report about a supposed Zionist-American plot against the regime. The report was produced by Ameneh Sadat. She and her team represent the intelligence services and the IRGC within the state broadcaster. She is highly skilled at manufacturing forced confessions from political prisoners.
Sadat is on the human rights sanctions list of the US, Canada, and European countries. The report claimed that the Seven Aban gathering was a secret meeting. However, the gathering was public and broadcast live. Seven Aban was suddenly presented as a powerful movement. The United States organized the gathering in Brussels, according to state propaganda.
On August 24, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei finally appeared in public again to deliver a serious speech. In it, he referred to Seven Aban as a Zionist movement. In reality, there are Iranians inside and outside Iran who create Seven Aban organizations.
It seems like a miracle that an organization that has only been around for three years is so feared by Khamenei and his gang. Without arrogance, the young organization strives for unity under the leadership of Prince Reza Phalavi. In the spirit of Cyrus the Great, the Seven Aban Front has been established.
The only guarantee for peace and security in the Middle East is regime change in Iran.
Israelis and Jews in Europe will not know security as long as the Iranian regime remains in power. This apocalyptic regime will not give up on its own. There is a real opportunity at this time to strive for the destruction of the Ayatollah's regime in Iran. Israelis and Iranians are natural allies in the battle against the hateful regime in Tehran.
Afshin Ellian is professor of Jurisprudence (legal theory and legal philosophy) at the Faculty of Law, Leiden University